ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kid — child
  5. staff — a stick
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cold — an illness
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rest — a break
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. plane — a tool
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com